Objective To study the effects of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) on excessive inflammatory response of patients to traumatic brain injury (TBI) so as to prevent against the development of the secondary injury by observing the changes of α-MSH level in the serum of patients with TBI,and the relationships of the levels of serum α-MSH with the severity of TBI,and with the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α).Methods A total of 48 patients with acute TBI were divided into three groups according to GCS score:severe group with GCS 3-8 (n =18),moderate group with GCS 9-12 (n =16),and mild group with GCS 13-15 (n =14).Ten healthy volunteers were recruited as a control group.The blood samples were collected within 24 h and 3 d,5 d,7 days after injury.The concentrations of α-MSH and TNF-α in the separated serum were measured by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).All variables were presented as ((x)±s).Repeated measures and analysis of variance and further multiple comparisons were carried out to compare variables.When necessary,the Student's t test was utilized.Pearson correlation analyses were performed to determine the correlations between variables.Results The serum α-MSH levels in the three TBI groups were lower than that in the control group (P ＜ 0.05).And the severer injury was,the lower α-MSH level was.The lowest α-MSH levels dropped to the trough on the 3rd day or the 5th day after TBI [severe group:(9.65 ±4.21) pg/mL,moderate group:(10.69 ±4.30) pg/mL,mild group:(18.89 ±7.19) pg/mLvs.control:(45.67 ± 10.95) pg/mL].While the serum TNF-α levels in three TBI groups were higher than that in the control group (P ＜ 0.05),and the TNF-α level was higher in the severer group.The peak values of TNF-α in the three TBI groups reached on the 3rd day after TBI [severe group:(37.24 ± 18.28) pg/mL,moderate group:(26.19 ±6.78) pg/mL,mild group:(18.60 ±7.83) pg/mL vs.control:(10.74 ± 1.71) pg/ mL].There were negative correlations between the levels of serum α-MSH and TNF-α at four intervals.Conclusions In patients with TBI,the serum levels of α-MSH decreased,and the lowest levels of α-MSH dropped to the trough on the 3rd day or the 5th day after TBI.While the levels of TNF-α increased,and the peak values reached on the 3rd day after TBI.And as the injury was more severe,these changes were more significant.There were negative correlations between the serum α-MSH levels and TNF-α levels in general.

Objective To survey the prevalence of hypertension in population of Keshan disease endemic areas, in order to provide a scientific basis for prevention and control of hypertension in rural areas of our country.Methods One hundred and twenty villages were selected as the survey places based on case-finding from 15 provinces including Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Hubei, Yunnan,Sichuan, Guizhou, Chongqing and Mongolia in 2009.The subjects were permanent residents in the survey places.Basic situation of all subjects was collected through the questionnaire survey and blood pressure was measured by a clinician.Diagnostic criterion for hypertension was based on the Chinese Guidelines for the Management of Hypertension.Results Totally 33 558 subjects aged 18 and over were surveyed, including 8 699 hypertension patients.The positive rate of hypertension was 25.9％ (8 699/33 558), among that 26.3％ (3 532/13 408) were males,and 25.6％ (5 167/20 150) were females.The positive rate of hypertension increased with age (x2 =3 348.325, P ＜0.05).In the classification of hypertension, the proportion of stage 1, 2 and 3 hypertension and isolated systolic hypertension was 31.8％ (2 770/8 699), 26.1％ (2 273/8 699), 17.2％ (1 492/8 699) and 24.9％ (2 164/8 699),respectively.Conclusions The positive rates of hypertension in Keshan disease endemic areas are higher than those of the national average (18.8％).Hypertension is a serious public health problem in Keshan disease endemic areas.The strategy of hypertension prevention and control should be formulated for remote rural areas.

OBJECTIVETo study the correlation of prime colonization time of Mutans Streptococci and feeding habits in infants.

METHODSOne hundred and eighty children (aged 6-24 months) from Shenyang city were examined for the colonization of MS Related items were registered by completed questionnaires.

RESULTSThe study showed a correlation between prime colonization time and feeding mode, breast feeding, feeding frequency during bedtime, asleep habits.

CONCLUSIONAdvocating reasonable feeding mode and asleep habits is effective to interdict or delay MS's colonization and transmission in child to prevent caries.

Bottle Feeding ; Breast Feeding ; Child, Preschool ; Colony Count, Microbial ; Dental Caries ; prevention & control ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mouth ; microbiology ; Streptococcus mutans ; isolation & purification ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Objective To investigate the relevance ratio of abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) and describe the abnormal ECG index among the residents in Keshan disease (KD) area.To assess the KD illness severity and provide comparable quantitative indicators,provide the scientific basis for elimination of KD.Methods Non probability sampling method was used,and monitoring stations with the highest incidence of KD at the county level were selected in 2012.Clinical examination and 12 lead ECG was carried out.According to The KD Diagnosis Standard (WS/T 210-2011),eight common changes in ECG of KD were scored.According to age and sex group,check the abnormal rate of ECG detection of Keshan disease,while analysed the changes of abnormal ECG index score in latent KD patients and chronic KD patients.Abnormal ECG index to determine:If there was one change,the score was 1 and the abnormal ECG index was 1.And so on,the highest score was 8.Results Totally 61 831 residents were surveyed and 9 634 were found with abnormal ECG,and the relevance ratio of abnormal ECG was 15.58％;totally 3 862 residents had eight ECG changes of KD and the relevance ratio was 6.25％;totally 508 residents were diagnosed with KD and the relevance ratio was 0.82％.The relevance ratio of abnormal ECG among all age groups was statistically different (x2 =3 065.64,P ＜ 0.05).The relevance ratio of abnormal ECG in women was higher than that of men [3.91％ (2 419/61 831) vs 2.33％ (1 443/61 831),x2 =86.30,P＜ 0.05].Abnormal ECG index score was (1.06 ± 0.25) which was not statistically different between gender [men:(1.07 ± 0.27) vs women:(1.06 ± 0.24),t =1.41,P ＞ 0.05].The abnormal ECG index score in latent KD patients was lower than that of chronic KD patients [(1.09 ± 0.30) vs (1.60 ± 0.69),t =-4.87,P ＜ 0.05].In eight ECG changes,the most check out items were T wave and/or ST segment changes (2 816).Conclusions The relevance ratio of abnormal ECG in KD area is at a higher level.The abnormal ECG index can be used to assess the KD illness severity and provide comparable quantitative indicators,in order to provide a new train of thought for the evaluation of KD elimination.

Objective • To explore the value of the 2013 version of the ultrasound breast imaging reporting and data system (BI-RADS) classification diagnostic criteria combined with ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) to identify benign and malignant breast lesions. Methods • A total of 175 solid breast masses in 155 women were examined with ultrasound, and were judged to be benign or malignant by BI-RADS classification criteria. Then all the masses were examined with shear wave elastography (SWE), to obtain shear wave quantitative parameters of benign and malignant breast lesions, the pathological results were used as the gold standard to construct the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the subjects, which were used to compare the diagnostic value of the two methods alone and in combination. Results • The area under curve (AUC) of the BI-RADS classification diagnostic criteria, the Emax value, and the combination of the two methods to differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast nodules were 0913, 0.884 and 0.957, respectively. Through pairwise comparison, there was significant difference in AUC between the two methods alone and their combination (BI-RADS classification vs. combination: Z=2.883, P=0.002; SWE vs. combination: Z=4.081, P=0.000). Conclusion • The combination of BI-RADS classification and SWE technology can improve the diagnostic accuracy of breast lesions.

OBJECTIVETo discuss the clinical effects of open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for treatment of patients with Lisfranc injury combined the second metatarsal base comminuted fracture.

METHODSFrom March 2007 to June 2012, 7 patients with Lisfranc injury combined the second metatarsal base comminuted fracture were treated including 5 males and 2 female aged from 22 to 51 years old (means 42 years), 4 of sprain and 3 of traffic injury. According Myerson classification, there was 1 case of type A, 3 of type B and 3 of type C. Kirschner wire was used to fix Lisfranc ligament placing from the medial cuneiform bone to the second metatarsal base during the operation. After the operation American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) criteria system were applied to evaluate the foot and ankle function. Preoperative and postoperative AP, lateral and oblique X-ray and CT scan were collected for radiographic evaluation.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up from 12 to 20 months (16.8 months in average). According to AOFAS criteria system, 3 cases were excellent result,3 good, 1 fair. All the wounds were primary healing without skin necrosis, infection, Kirschner loose,broken, or other complications.

CONCLUSIONKirschner wire had good clinical efficacy for fixing Lisfranc ligament injury with the second metatarsal base comminuted fracture, and could avoid arthrodesis.

Adult ; Bone Wires ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Metatarsal Bones ; injuries ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Tarsal Joints ; injuries ; surgery ; Wound Healing

BACKGROUNDChinese nonfluent aphasic patients experience apparent speech production deficit, but it remains less known in which part of Chinese speech production this deficit occurs. The present study aimed to examine the ability of nonfluent aphasic patients in Chinese orthography, phonological and semantic processing via two experiments. Experiment I disclosed the general pattern of deficit of Chinese nonfluent aphasic patients in speech production. Experiment II tested whether this deficit occurs in orthography, phonological or semantic processing.

METHODSThe present study adopted neuropsychological testing methods to compare speech production and Chinese word processing between nonfluent aphasic patients (the patient group) and normal individuals (the control group). Character reading and word reading tasks were used to test speech production. Chinese radical decision, rhyme decision and semantic decision tasks were used to examine word processing. Reaction time and the correct answer rate were collected.

RESULTSThe patient group had a longer reaction time and was more prone to errors in both character reading and word reading tasks than was the control group. For the patient group, there was no difference between the reaction time of character reading and word reading, the error rate of the former was higher than the latter. In radical decision task the reaction time and error rate to the radical "mu " were higher in the patient group than in the control group. In the rhyme decision task, the reaction time and error rate to the rhyme "ang" were higher for the aphasic patients. In the semantic decision task the reaction time to characters in the category of animals was higher for the aphasic patients, yet the error rate was not significantly different between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONSNonfluent aphasic patients seemingly have decreased speed of speech production and an increased error rate. There is a deficit in phonological processing of aphasic patients while their semantic processing may remain intact.

Adult ; Aged ; Aphasia ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Reaction Time ; Reading ; Semantics ; Speech

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of ANGPTL4 gene silencing on the migration of human colon cancer cells in vitro.

METHODSThe expression of ANGPTL4 in human colorectal cancer cell lines was detected by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Following stable transfection with a short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting ANGPTL4 gene in HT29 cells, ANGPTL4 mRNA and protein expressions were detected by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and direct ELISA, respectively, and the changes in cell migration ability and cell morphology were observed with transwell and immunofluorescence assays.

RESULTSANGPTL4 was expressed in most of the colorectal cancer cell lines. Compared with the control groups, HT29 cells with shRNA-mediated ANGPTL4 gene silencing showed significantly decreased expression of ANGPTL4 mRNA and protein (P<0.05) and lowered cell migration ability possibly due to decreased pseudopodia formation.

CONCLUSIONANGPTL4 was expressed in most colorectal cancer cell lines. Decreased ANGPTL4 gene expression can inhibit the cell migration and pseudopodia formation in HT29 cells.

Angiopoietin-like 4 Protein ; Angiopoietins ; genetics ; Cell Movement ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Gene Silencing ; HT29 Cells ; Humans ; RNA, Small Interfering ; genetics

This study was aimed to investigate the distribution and implication of tap1 (transporter associated with antigen processing) and tap2 loci allelic and genotypic frequencies. The distribution of tap1 and tap2 loci allelic and genotypic frequencies in 339 random samples of healthy Chinese Hans was analyzed by TaqMan PCR. Several genetic information about power of discrimination, cumulative DP, polymorphism information content, expected heterozygosity and observed heterozygosity were calculated. The results indicated that 5 tap1 alleles (tap1*0101, 020101, 020102, 0301 and 0401) and 4 tap2 alleles (tap2*0101, 0102, 0103 and 0201) were detected in all samples. 8 tap1 genotypes were found which account for 53.3% of the theoretic genotype and 6 tap2 genotypes were found which account for 60% of the theoretic genotype. The genotyping results of tap1 and tap2 both conform to the Hardy-Weinberg expectations (p > 0.05). Tap1*0101 (79.79%) and tap2*0101 (82.74%) are the most common alleles in Chinese Hans. It is concluded that tap1*0101 and tap2*0101 are most common alleles in Chinese Hans, tap1 and tap2 loci carry some power of individual discrimination and polymorphism information content. These two locl can be used for the research in the fields of human genetics, linkage analysis of genetic disease genes, paternity test and individual identification and so on.
ATP-Binding Cassette Sub-Family B Member 2 ; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters ; genetics ; ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family B, Member 3 ; Alleles ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Haplotypes ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo evaluate clinical effect of new method of percutaneous Kirschner wire fixation in treating Bennett's fracture.

METHODSThirteen patients with Bennett's fracture were treated with close reduction and percutaneous Kirschner wire fixation. There were male 8 cases and female 5 cases with an average age of 32 years (range from 20 to 45 years). The mean time from injury to operation was 4.3 days (range from 2 to 7 days). External fixation with plaster slab was applied after operation with an average of 35 days (range from 30 to 41 days). The reduction of articular surface, symptom of ache and function of thumb after operation were evaluated.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up with an average of 6.4 months (range from 4 to 9 months). All fractures united and the articular surfaces were reduced well. Only 1 case has mild pain when activity. The grasp force decreased in all patients.

CONCLUSIONClose reduction and percutaneous Kirschner wire fixation has advantage such as simply operation, precisely fixation, high potency ratio. The method especially fits Bennett's fracture with small triangular fragment.

Adult ; Bone Wires ; Female ; Finger Injuries ; surgery ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Fractures, Bone ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult